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Best flat wound brand/gauge for reggae

#41
BTW I got to see and talk to Family Man when he recently came Santa Cruz, Ca. He definitely uses the old - now discontinued - Fender Flats.
Anyone who thinks there is no or little treble in his sound is dead wrong. I was actually 10 feet from his amp (Moe's Alley is very a small venue). You only hear the treble when the bass is solo'ed.
I will repeat what he has said in every interviewed and what I observed first hand, his approach is the following:
- He does not play loud, use a lighter touch using his thumb or with his right-hand fingers playing lightly over the fingerboard - He plays an active Jazz Bass Deluxe on which the bridge cover bell was added. I don't know if he has mute-foam under.
- BUT he uses a lot of power and a lot of cabs (he had 2 Eden amps, two 15' cabs and two 4x10 cabs)
- His eq is almost totally flat (those who believe he has any kind of maxed out lows or rolled off highs just need to read about every interview he gave about his gear and settings). Anyone who uses a Jazz Bass with flats and plays with the right-hand (left for me I am a lefty) over the fingerboard knows you don't need any eq to get a great reggae tone, period.
=> It create this sort of subwoofer sound. When I saw him, it actually came to my mind that most reggae players play way too loud. His sound blends perfectly in the overall mix and does not make you feel like you're going to puke because the bass is churning your stomach.
 
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#42
Frenchy-Lefty said:
BTW I got to see and talk to Family Man when he recently came Santa Cruz, Ca. He definitely uses the old - now discontinued - Fender Flats.
Anyone who thinks there is no or little treble in his sound is dead wrong. I was actually 10 feet from his amp (Moe's Alley is very a small venue). You only hear the treble when the bass is solo'ed.
I will repeat what he has said in every interviewed and what I observed first hand, his approach is the following:
- He does not play loud, use a lighter touch using his thumb or with his right-hand fingers playing lightly over the fingerboard - He plays an active Jazz Bass Deluxe on which the bridge cover bell was added. I don't know if he has mute-foam under.
- BUT he uses a lot of power and a lot of cabs (he had 2 Eden amps, two 15' cabs and two 4x10 cabs)
- His eq is almost totally flat (those who believe he has any kind of maxed out lows or rolled off highs just need to read about every interview he gave about his gear and settings). Anyone who uses a Jazz Bass with flats and plays with the right-hand (left for me I am a lefty) over the fingerboard knows you don't need any eq to get a great reggae tone, period.
=> It create this sort of subwoofer sound. When I saw him, it actually came to my mind that most reggae players play way too loud. His sound blends perfectly in the overall mix and does not make you feel like you're going to puke because the bass is churning your stomach.
Click to expand...

Cool post, thanks!
 
#43
Honestly I think you could get away with a well used set of roundwounds. But if I was playing reggae and looking to purchase some flats, I'd be looking at warmer sounding strings - GHS Precision, Labella, Pyramid. I hear that DR flats warm up nicely after some playing time, too.
 
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#44
Frenchy-Lefty said:
BTW I got to see and talk to Family Man when he recently came Santa Cruz, Ca. He definitely uses the old - now discontinued - Fender Flats.
Anyone who thinks there is no or little treble in his sound is dead wrong. I was actually 10 feet from his amp (Moe's Alley is very a small venue). You only hear the treble when the bass is solo'ed.
I will repeat what he has said in every interviewed and what I observed first hand, his approach is the following:
- He does not play loud, use a lighter touch using his thumb or with his right-hand fingers playing lightly over the fingerboard - He plays an active Jazz Bass Deluxe on which the bridge cover bell was added. I don't know if he has mute-foam under.
- BUT he uses a lot of power and a lot of cabs (he had 2 Eden amps, two 15' cabs and two 4x10 cabs)
- His eq is almost totally flat (those who believe he has any kind of maxed out lows or rolled off highs just need to read about every interview he gave about his gear and settings). Anyone who uses a Jazz Bass with flats and plays with the right-hand (left for me I am a lefty) over the fingerboard knows you don't need any eq to get a great reggae tone, period.
=> It create this sort of subwoofer sound. When I saw him, it actually came to my mind that most reggae players play way too loud. His sound blends perfectly in the overall mix and does not make you feel like you're going to puke because the bass is churning your stomach.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this, it's informative!

One of my favorite quotes is by Joe Higgs: "Reggae is nothing more than a very loud drum 'n bass, coming out of the ghetto." However ...

I think many people (including many bass players) think that reggae bass is bottom bottom bottom and loud loud loud, but that is a stereotype. On stage, more important is how the bass blends with the kick, how they interact down in that frequency range. I first started playing reggae as a member of a house band at a (illegal) basement club in Jamaica (Queens!) back in the 80's. And when I got my first SVT rig, I immediately EQ'ed bass bass bass (and loud loud loud). I was accustomed to the sound that the DJ had during our breaks. That didn't work! During one break, a couple of folks from the audience told me the bass was making them physically ill. I worked lot of Jamaican dances, and people will often pick one instrument in reggae to dance to. You can see it (she dances to the "chenka"). And contrary to popular belief, it's not always the bass!

As I began working in different situations, in different kinds of venues (both very large and very small), I learned that you need a very clear onstage sound that blends well with the kick and doesn't cover it up. You need a good mix so you can play together. And you need to turn down. Which is the same thing we bass players do for any other kind of music. Can I hear myself AND hear every other musician? And can they do the same?

Like Fams, I use an external or internal preamp. I use Alleva Coppolas, which only have 2 knobs: bass & treble, and I turn both knbos all the way up. And other than rolling off the high mids just a pinch, I set the bass amp EQ flat. And if it's a good bass (and the stage acoustics are cooperating), that will usually be perfect. I wonder how Fams sets the EQ on his bass. My guess is the bass EQ on the instrument's preamp is all the way up or pretty close. You DO have to get that very foundation, supportive bottom sound. He told me once that his reference point is the acoustic bass and hearing him that makes sense.
 
#45
Selim said:
Thanks for posting this, it's informative!

One of my favorite quotes is by Joe Higgs: "Reggae is nothing more than a very loud drum 'n bass, coming out of the ghetto." However ...

I think many people (including many bass players) think that reggae bass is bottom bottom bottom and loud loud loud, but that is a stereotype. On stage, more important is how the bass blends with the kick, how they interact down in that frequency range. I first started playing reggae as a member of a house band at a (illegal) basement club in Jamaica (Queens!) back in the 80's. And when I got my first SVT rig, I immediately EQ'ed bass bass bass (and loud loud loud). I was accustomed to the sound that the DJ had during our breaks. That didn't work! During one break, a couple of folks from the audience told me the bass was making them physically ill. I worked lot of Jamaican dances, and people will often pick one instrument in reggae to dance to. You can see it (she dances to the "chenka"). And contrary to popular belief, it's not always the bass!

As I began working in different situations, in different kinds of venues (both very large and very small), I learned that you need a very clear onstage sound that blends well with the kick and doesn't cover it up. You need a good mix so you can play together. And you need to turn down. Which is the same thing we bass players do for any other kind of music. Can I hear myself AND hear every other musician? And can they do the same?

Like Fams, I use an external or internal preamp. I use Alleva Coppolas, which only have 2 knobs: bass & treble, and I turn both knbos all the way up. And other than rolling off the high mids just a pinch, I set the bass amp EQ flat. And if it's a good bass (and the stage acoustics are cooperating), that will usually be perfect. I wonder how Fams sets the EQ on his bass. My guess is the bass EQ on the instrument's preamp is all the way up or pretty close. You DO have to get that very foundation, supportive bottom sound. He told me once that his reference point is the acoustic bass and hearing him that makes sense.
Click to expand...

I've seen him often with a passive J, he rolls off the treble a bit and the bridge PUP most of the ways, leaving a bit in for articulation.

He also uses, and has often described as a secret weapon, a Sansamp Bass Driver.

This would warm up an Eden rig perfectly, and I believe it's a big part of his post SVT sound.

I agree with everything said about balance, but in most situations a good teggae tone works great somewhat higher in the mix than you'd normally use for most other genres.
 
#46
[QUOTE="One Drop, post: 17100292, member: 48086
I agree with everything said about balance, but in most situations a good teggae tone works great somewhat higher in the mix than you'd normally use for most other genres.[/QUOTE]

You can get a good reggae bass sound with a Sansamp.

I agree with you that the bass being somewhat being higher in the mix works for reggae, more so than other music. BASS music! But some folks go overboard, like the bass is the star of the show. And depending on the kind of show, it sometimes is! The bass player can be a significant figure in reggae culture, and sometimes even in Jamaican culture as well.
 
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#50
Good thread folks! One last thing, as some of you mentioned it, besides Family Man's there are other great Reggae bass tones. Flat-wounds and Jazz Basses are not a must. Personally, I also really like some of the modern 5 string bass sounds as you hear them on Stephen Marley's records and other recent reggae or dub stuff. BTW let me recommend a little known reggae album I love: Corey Harris - Zion Crossroads. Love it!

On the flat-wound topic, my main issue is stickiness. Some of them get sticky when you sweat (if you don't sweat you ain't playing Reggae man...maybe smooth Jazz, right?) and it makes me miss some beats. I tried TI's, Chromes, Rotosounds, Dean Markley's, GHS but I seem to have no issues with Labella FL760's. You can't go wrong with them and their tension also feels like a regular gauge round-wound string. Most of all, they seem to have this effect of magically transporting my mind in a crowded, sweaty riddim-drenched dive in Kingston in the early seventies where I would be the band's bass player...They just have this good old thumpy sound!
 
#52
Frenchy-Lefty said:
Good thread folks! One last thing, as some of you mentioned it, besides Family Man's there are other great Reggae bass tones. Flat-wounds and Jazz Basses are not a must. Personally, I also really like some of the modern 5 string bass sounds as you hear them on Stephen Marley's records and other recent reggae or dub stuff. BTW let me recommend a little known reggae album I love: Corey Harris - Zion Crossroads. Love it!

On the flat-wound topic, my main issue is stickiness. Some of them get sticky when you sweat (if you don't sweat you ain't playing Reggae man...maybe smooth Jazz, right?) and it makes me miss some beats. I tried TI's, Chromes, Rotosounds, Dean Markley's, GHS but I seem to have no issues with Labella FL760's. You can't go wrong with them and their tension also feels like a regular gauge round-wound string. Most of all, they seem to have this effect of magically transporting my mind in a crowded, sweaty riddim-drenched dive in Kingston in the early seventies where I would be the band's bass player...They just have this good old thumpy sound!
Click to expand...

Wristbands, the reggae bassist's best friend.
 
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#54
Luckydog said:
DR strings didnt even exist until 1989.
Click to expand...

hyper.jpg
 
#58
Pier_ said:
probably he's the last one caring about strings:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7272/7573875982_e3af181812_o.jpg

D and G are clearly D'Addario Chromes, with the dark blue silk so long

E and A don't have silk. they can be everything, maybe old Fender?
Click to expand...

Is the jury still out on the strings on Fams Jbass as pictured in your post?

I wonder whether the current Fender flats 9050M (55-70-90-105) would be suitable for trying nail his tone. All else considered, of course.
 

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